Dream a Little Dream of Me
by SpilledInk93
Summary: Sakura is nineteen and has been away in Suna for the last two years, now she inevitably has to go home. Have things changed with time or have they stayed the same? Only one way to find out. GaaXSaku, some fluff to begin.


Dream a Little Dream of Me

Chapter One

Things best left in the Past

This story was in need of a serious rewrite as I haven't updated in about six years and my writing style has much improved since then.

I hope you all enjoy, Onwards!

 _GaaXSaku_

The wind pressure was fluctuating as it whipped around large puffs of stinging sand, stirred up by the impact of chakra enhanced fists on earth. They turned into small sand tornados before dissipating as the two battling kunoichi tried to get one up on the other, neither giving ground as they danced back and forth across the shifting sands.

Eventually they both gave up calling it a tie, neither being able to best the other yet again.

"Oh my Kami!" Sakura groaned aloud as she flopped back onto the baked earth, covered from head to toe in a glistening sheen of sweat that granules of sand stuck to. There were a myriad of small cuts marking her tanned arms, her legs and the part of her chest that was exposed by her zip-up Jounin vest.

"That has to be one of the most intense workout's I've had yet... besides Gaara of course." Temari as equally tanned if not more so, dropped down beside her and laughed as she panted.

"You sure know how to use those fists of yours, your Shishou has taught you well." Sakura who was still panting albeit not quite as harshly, beamed at the compliment.

"Thanks so much, this was the best spar I've had in a long time. The others don't offer much in the way of a good spar, they're all too afraid I'll send them straight to the hospital." At this Temari laughed heartily. Once they had caught their breaths Sakura picked her-self up off the cooling sand, brushing off what she could from her arms and legs before she offered a hand to Temari.

"We better get back before Gaara scolds us for being out so late again." Sakura voiced as Temari grasped the proffered hand and was hauled to her feet by the seemingly petite woman in front of her. Meanwhile Sakura hummed at the thought of Gaara blowing his top again, he was only worried for their safety after all but knowing that didn't help how scary he was when he got angry.

They started on their way back to the entrance to Suna from training ground eleven which was furthest away from the gates, meaning they were less likely to be disturbed in the midst of their spar. They realised that they wouldn't make it back before the sun completely disappeared beyond the horizon.

They both felt the drop in temperature quickly approaching though a mild warmth still lingered in the air, knowing that it could drop to near freezing in the blink of an eye they hastened themselves using their chakra to propel their bodies across the sand.

While heading back Sakura was thinking about the turn her life had taken after she had come to Suna. When she had arrived two years ago Gaara had offered her a place in the ranks of the Suna-nin as a Medic and as ANBU if need be which she had gracefully accepted.

She had originally been asked for by Gaara to help train more medical staff and to help head the understaffed hospital after they had been attacked by the Akatsuki, most of the younger staff had been lacking in training. She had done well in helping the hospital get up and running again as she had properly retrained at least 15 new medic-nin, a few of who now had understudies themselves.

She came back to her-self when they reached the gates as she heard one of the guards call out from atop the parapet.

"I see them! They're coming in from the training fields. Inform Kazekage-sama immediately!" One of the guards was dispatched to the Kazekage's office to let him know they had been found.

"Temari, Sakura!" They saw Kankuro walking briskly towards them, the frown on his face made seemingly more frightening by the purple paint he willingly donned every day. Surprisingly he didn't have crow strapped to his back but Sakura figured she could question it later when their arses weren't about to be in hot water.

"Where the hell have you two been?! Its past sunset and you know you were supposed to be home an hour ago!" He yelled this when he was a mere five steps away from them, causing spit to fly in his vehemence.

"Don't burst my eardrums Kankuro!" Temari growled as she knocked him on the back of the head with a resounding 'Thwump!'.

"Ouch!" He griped, rubbing at the back of his sore head.

"That really hurt Temari!" He crowed and so she hit him again.

"Then stop yelling at us and I'll stop hitting you." She said impatiently.

"Okay, okay … geeze … you're as bad as Sakura with Naruto." He grumbled, still rubbing the back of his newly bruised head.

"Baka." Sakura mumbled the profanity under her breath, knowing Kankuro hadn't heard it but by the smirk on Temari's face that she had.

They traipsed towards the Kazekage's office going at a sedate pace through the sandy streets where a few of the people bowed in respect to Sakura for either helping them or someone dear to them. Sakura happily bowed back to every one of them in return and gave them either a smile or a wave.

As they got closer to Kazekage tower the streets became emptier due to the sudden drop in temperature as the sun painted the sky a dusky pink from below the horizon. They made their way up the steps to the Kazekage's office and Temari knocked quietly three times before entering the office.

"And where exactly have you two been? It's past the time you were supposed to check in with me." Gaara spoke in a daunting voice, his worry and anger were evident in his eyes.

"I am sorry Kazekage-sama, we lost track of the time and came in later than we anticipated." Sakura said this as she looked down to the floor, truly repentant for worrying the Kazekage so.

"I will let it slide this time but please in future don't let it happen again." His voice was commanding and suited his position rightly if she thought about it.

"Temari, you are free to go. Sakura-san, I would like a word with you." His voice was back to its usual low pitch as he dismissed Temari.

"Hai, see you soon Sakura-chan." Temari gave her a little nod before she left.

"What is it you would like to speak to me about Kazekage-sama?" Sakura asked, afraid she had done something wrong or that things had gone awry at the hospital.

"I was actually wondering if you would accompany me outside the village tomorrow, there is something I would like to show you." Gaara's voice seemed a little more animated as he mentioned this possible expedition.

"Of course Kazekage-sama." Sakura agreed so as not to appear rude though she was indeed curious about where he was going to take her, she figured his excitement was instilled from the opportunity to get out of his stuffy office for a time.

"Please Sakura-san, call me Gaara. It is only fair and besides, none of my close friends call me Kazekage-sama. You've been here long enough, it seems only right." He conveyed to her, sounding just a little exasperated by the formality of it all.

"Yes Kaze- Gaara." Sakura smiled along with him at her little slip up but at the same time found she was quite surprised that he thought her one of his close friends.

"Well if you don't mind then please just call me Sakura." She asked in return to his request, a smile playing about her lips.

"Okay then, Sakura. Meet me at the gates at the back of the village tomorrow at dawn?" Gaara petitioned her, a small smile still playing about his lips.

"Yes of course Gaara, I'll see you tomorrow at dawn then. Goodnight." Sakura dipped her head respectfully after she spoke before she turned and left the office.

She walked down the almost empty lower hall of the Kazekage tower pondering her elevated status at being considered as one of Gaara's close friends; she wondered where the sudden change had come from.

Maybe it was because she had been here so long or maybe because she was one of Naruto's best friends but it still slipped her mind for the true reason as to why of course, forgetting about saving his brother's life when he had been poisoned by Sasori.

She walked into her room and made her way straight over to her dresser for one of her lighter sets of pyjamas, it was chilly outside but the sand moulded housing held the heat well so it was still quite warm inside. Her camisole and short set was blood red with black lace edging over the top of her breasts and circling the legs of her shorts, which stopped at about mid-thigh. She decided that a quick shower to wash the sweat from her body and the sand from crevices it shouldn't by rights be in was in order.

After her cool, refreshing shower Sakura decided to sit with her long hair wrapped in a towel to dry and read the letter she had received from her friends in Konoha, it read:

 _Dear Sakura-chan,_

 _Everything here is going just fine the village is still intact and no one has tried to attack since the Akatsuki. The Village has rebuilt nicely and I really wish you were here, seeing it now. It's as beautiful as it's always been, hopefully you come back soon._

 _Naruto's up to the usual, training with Jiraiya-sensei and eating ramen for breakfast, lunch and dinner._

 _Lee is doing great he's training with Gai-sensei ALL the time and they're still trying to out-do each other as per usual._

 _Ten-Ten and Neji are FINALLY engaged after much arguing within our clan, they're perfect together so I don't understand the clan's hesitance at all._

 _Shino and Kiba have Finally come out,_

'Well I certainly wasn't expecting that, much less those two.' Sakura thought this to herself with a smile and gentle shake of her head before continuing to read.

 _After much persuasion from certain party's of course. They are just so adorable together, you really should see it._

 _Ino and Chouji are still going strong; she's even managed to get Chouji to slim down a little bit, he still loves his BBQ though._

Sakura smiled slightly at that, knowing exactly how long Ino had been trying to get him down a size or two though being quite unsuccessful, up until now of course.

 _Shikamaru and Temari... Well, you know all about that. Poor Temari, she's got enough on her plate without that mess too._

 _Sasuke was let out of jail last week and is under a good behaviour order. He's not allowed to leave the village at all and is restricted to his family compound, so no need to worry about him seeking anyone out._

Sakura could tell there was an underlying worry for her there, she almost screwed up the letter after reading that that life ruiner had been let out of jail. She growled just thinking about him being able to wander free, after everything he had done! How could they just let him go without any consideration to what he could still do? It was almost unthinkable.

 _Kakashi-sensei says 'yo' and Pakkun says misses your belly-rubs. Kakashi's ninken had a flea outbreak recently, luckily Hana was able to get it under control before it got too bad. It was funny to see them all with cones on their heads though, I couldn't believe it!_

 _Oh I almost forgot, Naruto proposed to me. We're getting married on the eighteenth of January, I would be extremely grateful if you would agree to be my maid of honour._

The eighteenth, Sakura squealed with joy. It was just under two months away so she would have to leave soon, the more she thought on it though the mistier her eyes became. Suna felt like home to her now and she didn't want to leave, it was so peaceful and harmonious apart from the occasional sibling squabble.

The sun was just wonderful and her tan was looking spot on, she thought about asking Temari to nude sunbathe with her on the roof again. None of the guys thought to bother Temari lest they get their head knocked off for being peeping toms, the last guy ended up needing twelve stitches for the gash in his forehead. Sakura shook her head and kept reading.

 _We all miss you and love you dearly._

 _Love all of the rookie nine, team Gai; team Kurenai, Kakashi-sensei and your Shishou too._

 _P.S. Come back soon xo_

Sakura brought her legs to her chest and rested her head against her knees as the tears gathered again, this time spilling over to make salty tracks down her face. The letter slipped from her fingers and fluttered to the blood red and silver duvet landing face up. How was she going to get through being home again? It would be hard enough acclimating to her usual routine without knowing about Sasuke, but now she would have to get used to that too.

She pounded her fist against the soft duvet in frustration, so focussed on her misery that she wasn't aware that she had a visitor in her room until the bed dipped under their weight.

She started and jumped a wide-eyed Kazekage, pinning him under her barely clothed form. Her hair was mussed and wild from having the towel wrapped around it fall free and her slim hand was pressed against the pressure point on his neck.

"Sakura …" He murmured huskily, the sound of his voice sent spikes of pleasure to the pit of her stomach causing her cheeks to flush a light pink.

"Have you been crying?" He asked her seeing the slightly wet trails of salty liquid marking her face. She was quick to scramble off him and hide her face behind her curtain of hair.

"No." She whispered, afraid her voice would crack if she spoke any louder.

Gaara startled her as he placed a gentle hand on her slim, bare shoulder. His intention was obviously comfort and so she looked to him, peering though her hair with sad deep viridian eyes.

"Why were you crying Sakura?" After asking that question he saw tears form and spill over once again.

"Because I don't want to leave, it's so wonderful here and you have all treated me with such kindness." Her voiced cracked sharply as she started to sob, her fears now being brought to light.

Gaara scooted forward on the bed and enveloped her in his arms, his right hand at the back of her neck pressed her head forward to his shoulder. He listened to her anguished cries in silence, feeling her tears seep through the thin cotton of his top and dampen his shoulder.

He didn't mind one bit, knowing that Sakura must need this, she was a strong woman ruled by her level head and not her emotions after all. He'd seen as much as he'd watched her work on patients in the hospital, or people in the field.

"Sakura..." He murmured quietly.

"Mmm …" Came her muffled reply as her face was still pressed against his firm shoulder.

"Whoever told you that you had to leave?" He asked her, while as gently as possible he pulled her back a little by her upper arms so he look into her viridian orbs which found an interesting purchase on the bed spread beneath them, picking at it with her slim fingers distractedly as she spoke.

"I … no one did… I just feel so at home here now after being here for so long … the thought of going back just seems so foreign to me you know… I just don't want to leave I guess." She finished lamely as she tilted her head forward to avoid his penetrating sea-foam green eyes.

Gaara wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him in a comforting gesture and just held her. Sakura's breathing slowed and her body slacked in his embrace, her raging emotions calming with every moment he held her.

"I thought you may send me home now that I have no possible reason to remain here, the hospital is running smoothly and you're all set for ANBU with the extra training your medic's have received." Sakura's voice was still quiet though much more steady.

"Sakura.." Gaara spoke low, his voice holding an undeliberate husky tone "You may come back and stay as long as you like if you wish it and if your Shishou approves. You and your friends and family are always welcome here whenever you like." Sakura sat ramrod straight in his arms thinking it was all a dream to good to be true.

"Really?" She inquired quietly, uncertain she was hearing right.

"Yes really Sakura, I mean everything I say." With his answer Gaara was suddenly in the midst of a rib cracking, spine crunching hug.

"Thank you so much!" She clamoured as she beamed.

"You're quite welcome, but I still need to breathe." He wheezed slightly.

"Oh... Oh! I'm so sorry Gaara." She apologized as she scooted backwards away from him, a blush lightly tinting her cheeks pink.

"It's okay." He smiled light-heartedly at her slight colouring of embarrassment.

"So you're going to be alright?" Gaara's concern shone through with his question.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Thank you for being here Gaara, I really appreciate it." Sakura was sincere in her gratitude and it showed.

"Alright then, I'll leave you be but if you need anything or you just want to talk then please don't hesitate to come to me." Gaara gave a genuine smile and with a nod he bade her goodnight.

It wasn't long after the door had shut behind Gaara that there was a knock, the quiet ones like Temari usually made.

"Come in!" Sakura called out and watched as the blonde haired wind wielder let herself in, closing the door behind her with a quiet 'snick'.

"I heard screaming from down the hall, I was just coming to check and make sure you didn't get bit by a scorpion or something." Temari laughed nervously with her words as she took a seat by Sakura on the bed.

They'd become such good friends and Temari had really opened up to Sakura letting her kind nature show through, they'd even had 'sleepovers' a couple of times when either one had needed to talk and hadn't wanted to go back to their rooms. It seemed like tonight might be one of those nights as Sakura picked up the letter and handed it over to the other woman.

"Read it." Sakura uttered, waiting patiently for a few moments as she watched Temari's eyes skim across the page.

"Son of a bitch." Temari muttered and by that Sakura knew she'd read the part about Sasuke. She remembered the first six months in after she'd arrived that she'd needed someone to confide in, approaching the usually brusque kunoichi had been quite difficult but once she'd gotten past her initial hesitance the older woman had been quite warm and easy to talk to.

The only other person who knew about Sasuke was Tsunade and she had promised not to tell a soul, not even Shizune who was like an older sister to her. When the request for her medical know how had come through from Gaara, Tsunade had rightly agreed to send her knowing it would take a while and would take her mind off things by keeping her busy.

It had worked for a time but the workloads had become less and less and she'd had more free time on her hands. She found herself sleeping and eating very little, only leaving her rooms when she was sent for by the hospital staff but even those expeditions became fewer. She was haunted by nightmares of the incident had eventually become gaunt and pale, a husk of herself and no one had a clue why.

Ultimately she knew her body couldn't take much more and she'd sought out the Suna kunoichi in the privacy of her chambers. That night they stayed up and Sakura explained in varied detail about what had happened between her and Sasuke and by that reasoning why she'd ended up here in Suna.

Luckily Temari had taken Sakura under her wing, being there for her when she woke screaming from her nightmares, getting her to eat and to go outside again. She showed her the joys of sunbathing on the roof of the Kazekage tower, took her training and kicking her arse over and over until Sakura learned to once again hold her own and she eventually became a better version of herself.

She knew she couldn't have done it without Temari's help and she was forever grateful for the blonde pigtailed Suna kunoichi. Sakura came back to herself amidst Temari's shriek of pure joy.

"Oh my Kami, I can't believe you're going to be Hinata's maid of honour! Too bad about that teme though, it can't be helped I guess. Don't let it get to you though, you're stronger than that." Temari smiled encouragingly at Sakura as she gently folded the letter and put it back on her nightstand.

"Right? I wonder who the best man is, it'll be someone close to Naruto." Sakura had a pillow atop her crossed legs which she was hugging to her chest with her left arm while she tapped her chin with her right index finger as she thought.

"How about that pale, black haired kid that's on your team?" Temari suggested.

"Sai? I doubt it, they're good friends but I don't think Naruto wants the guy who calls him dickless all the time as his best man. Kakashi would be doubtful to given he's late to Everything! I guess I'll just have to wait and see." Sakura concluded as she looked over at Temari.

"I guess so, I'm going to go get some peppermint tea and hang here tonight. Be right back!" With that Temari scooted off the bed and disappeared down the hall to the kitchen meanwhile Sakura dwelled on the best man thing. Who could it be?

 _GaaXSaku_

Well I hope you all enjoyed this chapter :)

Reviews, ideas and constructive criticism are welcome.

Thanks a bunch,

Niedosyt xx


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